The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute released a report today detailing the global arms trade. The United States, Russia, Germany, France and the United Kingdom are the five biggest suppliers of major conventional weapons. The US and Russia account for over half of all exports.
Two rising powers – China and India – are the world’s largest recipients of arms, with Russia supplying the vast bulk to both countries. In the last two years, however, transfers of major weapons systems to China fell dramatically. China is shifting its “focus to domestic procurement” and did not place any “new ‘big ticket’ orders for combat aircraft or naval vessels with Russia in 2007 and 2008.”
Image from the Economist.
